The Lesser of Two Evils Myth

Many people believe that voting for someone other then a "major" candidate is a wasted vote. I can't begin to count the number of people that I have heard say: "I agree with the minor candidate's positions, but I won't vote for him/her because it would be a wasted vote since they are "unelectable." What causes people to think like this?

Possibly because they believe that their vote actually counts? If one were to vote Republican or possibly Democratic, Libertarian, Green or even no vote at all, would that have any effect on the outcome of the election? This is highly unlikely.

So why do people think that their vote actually counts? Are they in denial? Or are they simply ignorant of a thing called mathematics? If you actually do the math, one has a better chance of winning the lottery then one has of affecting the outcome of a presidential election. If you vote to affect the outcome, you're far more foolish than your neighbor who buys a lottery ticket to win the jackpot. On the other hand, maybe your neighbor isn't so foolish after all. Maybe he's playing the lottery just for the fun of it, clearly understanding that he has no realistic chance of winning.

So what do you do when neither of the two major parties or candidates actually represent your own beliefs? What exactly is a wasted vote? A wasted vote occurs when a voter is "forced" to vote for the "lesser of two evils" instead of expressing his or her true political beliefs. Isn't voting for someone who does not represent your own beliefs a wasted vote?

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
~John Quincy Adams

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